The power dissipation of integrated circuit chips, and the modules containing the chips, continues to increase in order to achieve increases in processor performance. This trend poses a cooling challenge at both the module and system level. Increased air flow rates are needed to effectively cool high power modules and to limit the temperature of the air that is exhausted into the computer center.
In many server applications, processors along with their associated electronics (e.g., memory, disk drives, power supplies, etc.) are packaged in removable drawer or blade configurations disposed within a housing. In other cases, the electronics may be in fixed locations within the housing. Typically, the components are cooled by air moving in parallel air flow paths, usually front-to-back, impelled by one or more air moving devices (e.g., fans or blowers). In some cases it may be possible to handle increased power dissipation within a single drawer or blade by providing greater air flow, through the use of a more powerful air moving device or by increasing the rotational speed (i.e., RPMs) of an existing air moving device. However, this approach is becoming problematic at the system level.